Fear is the Mindkiller
Anger does a pretty good job also
It seems that, to be considered a classic, books, movies, plays, etc. need you to take something with you. Perhaps you leave a musical singing, or humming, a song for the rest of the day. Perhaps there is a phrase, or idea, that you continue to think about long after. For me, there will always be phrases connected together. Most everyone remembers (and makes fun of) the opening line of “It was a dark and stormy night". They may not remember it was made better known (but not the first use of) in “A Wrinkle in Time” which, when introduced, was a ground-breaker in the same manner as J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. One of the lines which accompanies me through life is “Fear is the Mindkiller” which is a Bene Gesserit teaching that assists Paul Atreides while taking a nerve stimulation test from the book (or movie) “Dune” by Frank Herbert.
Fear is the mindkiller. Within ourselves, we have the physical and the inner (mental/spiritual) sides able to work together to accomplish things. If it is a purely physical routine task then it is okay to relegate the inside you to the sidelines. If I am driving to a frequent destination, I don’t truly have to think about what lanes to get in, where to turn, and so forth. But, if I am going to an infrequent destination, I need help from my inner self (or pay attention to the GPS <smile>) or I will automatically follow the route that I am used to. (I also have problems if someone else in the car presents me with something I have to seriously contemplate.)
Sometimes the inner self helps one to accomplish a physical task. But “road rage” has never helped any driver. Not only are they tempted to do destructive things but their own control of the vehicle is badly impaired. When learning martial arts, the physical lessons go hand-in-hand with meditation. Sure, the Incredible Hulk can (and does) pound someone without any participation of his brain cells. But, especially if you are smaller and possibly physically weaker, a calm mind is needed to be effective. This allows the various exercises, you have practiced, to come forth and be available according to the strategies the inner you are creating. Your inner self can help or it can hinder.
We have great difficulties following logical, and rational, thought processes when our emotions are heightened. Anger, hatred, sexual arousal, fear all accelerate actions which, if calm, would be considered a bad choice.
Politicians, salespeople, and con people are very much aware of this situation. If a politician can awaken your anger, then what they actually say (or do) can fully escape your notice. Xenophobia (fear of the other) is always a useful tool for the unscrupulous; create a scapegoat upon which all can be blamed. A salesperson, or a marketing person, will try to make a connection between a product and a feeling. This helps to offset the rationality, or logic, of a purchasing decision.
For the fully absorbed, their emotions can create a puppet-like existence where a fantasy reality is the only one to consider. In sociology, this is sometimes called the mass, or mob, mind. This is occurring, within the global community, more often nowadays — perhaps because of the high levels of stress arising out of a rapidly changing world and slowness of adaptation.
There is no difference between a person who does not have much intelligence and a person who has a lot of intelligence and does not use it. Emotions can prevent people from using their intelligence — to the detriment of their own, and others’, safety and self-interest.
"It was a dark and stormy night" is the first line of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel "Paul Clifford." While "A Wrinkle in Time" and "A History of New York" both use that as an opening sentence, those authors were intentionally quoting and possibly mocking Bulwer-Lytton (although I never thought of Madelaine l"Engle as someone who would mock the less talented). The sentence is the inspiration for the Bulwar-Lytton Fiction Contest that has searched for the worst opening liine of a potential novel since 1983.
I think fear of failure is the ultimate motivation killer. Of course, what do we usually get right the first time we try? Nothing. Many children try to walk several times before they do. Failure is part of life and is a great thing. It teaches. Success can teach as well, but not nearly as well as failure does. Even Wayne Gretzky didn't win the cup his first year. He would go on to win four, but he needed time and some failure to get there. Failure is just a part of the process. The worst thing a person can do is not try. That kills the soul quicker than anything. I like how you talk about emotional responses and how they are used to manipulate. This is so true. Again, there's nothing wrong with getting emotional. We all do. But a calm mind after the emotions have raged, makes for better decision making. There's an episode of Breaking Bad where Walt tries to get Jesse back into cooking meth with him, but Jesse is in a bad emotional state and unleashes on Walt with a huge tirade. However, later on in the episode, Jesse calls Walt up and he is very calm, and he accepts his offer. I don't expect people to never freak out. I freak out as well. I think we need that moment when something hits us, as life does. But give it some time and a few hours or days of rational thought and then make decisions. Great post, Charles.